


Break the Surface

by jolybird



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arthurian, Gen, Minor Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 16:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9194312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jolybird/pseuds/jolybird
Summary: In the midst of a heat wave, a dip in the Burrow's pond seemed like a great idea. Luna didn't expect the day to get quite so...medieval.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [HP Time Travel Fest 2016](http://hptimetravel.livejournal.com/) back in like August and I realized I didn't have it posted here so ~here~. 
> 
> This was so much fun to write! Inspired by Malory (in that, the Lady of the Lake gives Arthur Excalibur and some of Arthur's dialogue is paraphrased). Thanks to storiofmylife for the last minute beta! <33

Luna stood beside Ginny, both women laughing as they watched Harry and Ron drag Neville down the short pier in the back of the Burrow and toss him into the water. Neville surfaced a moment later, trying to catch his breath through his laughter.  
  
Next to them, Hermione sat with Teddy on a blanket. They were reading one of the dozen animated children’s books Harry had brought for his godson in a fit of amazement (Neville had teased him about it which was why he was now pulling himself out of the pond).  
  
“You know what…” Luna began and then glanced down to the sundress she was wearing, it was blue and made out of light, flowing material that draped down to her knees. It would dry soon. “That looks like it’d feel nice.”  
  
“Luna.” Ginny laughed. “Please don’t go jumping into the pond, we have to leave soon.”  
  
She was already walking away. “It’s a good thing we’re witches then!”  
  
Neville stood to meet her at the end of the pier with Harry and Ron. “See, someone cares about me.”  
  
Luna only smiled as she ran past them, down the pier and dove into the water. When she surfaced, Ron was laughing, and Neville had his arms crossed. He was trying to go for a disappointed look, but his expression was much too fond for that. Luna smiled, it was too endearing.  
  
A flash of something below her in the water caught her eye, and she glanced down. She squinted at the object--it looked like...well it looked like a sword. “That’s a peculiar thing to keep in a pond,” she said, mostly to herself.  
  
“What?” Ron called, “is there something down there?”  
  
“A pond’s a very strange place to keep a sword,” she said, and Harry and Ron both reacted oddly to it. They glanced at each other suddenly pale. Luna didn’t dwell on their strange behavior, she just took a breath and dove down.  
  
“No don’t--the last time I--” Harry shouted and then his voice was muffled by the water. The pond wasn’t very deep, less than ten feet and she easily reached the bottom and grabbed the hilt of the sword--for that’s what it was. Silver with a gold, jewel encrusted hit.  
  
She put her feet on the bottom of the pond, suppressed a shiver, and kicked off towards the surface.  
  
The air that hit her was cool, and it was a gift since they were in the middle of the terrible heatwave. She had been casting cooling charms all day. With one hand holding onto the sword, she brushed her hair out of her eyes with the other. She looked back towards her boyfriend and friends but--two men on horseback started at her with wide eyes.  
  
Which was odd.  
  
There was a forest in the distance and no sign of the Burrow. She had grown up next door to the Burrow, and she was not in Ottery St. Catchpole anymore. What a strange happenstance.  
  
She swam towards the shore and the two men who were now climbing off the backs of their horses. As she climbed out and went to ask them what was going on, the younger one interrupted.  
  
“Damsel, what sword is that in your hand? I would like to have it, for I have no sword.”  
  
Luna looked to him and to the man next to him. The older man looked like he was in his late forties, but the younger one looked like he was closer in age to her. He was dressed like a knight with a shield hanging from his horse’s pack. It was familiar, but she couldn’t place it.  
  
“You want me to give you this sword just because you don’t have one.”  
  
He glanced to the older man, unsure and the other man stepped forward. “Lady, this is King Arthur, the one Excalibur is destined to.”  
  
Luna glanced to ‘King Arthur’ and then to the sword, Excalibur. If this was Excalibur, then she wasn’t just going to hand it over. He might not have earned it yet. “If you want this sword, you’re going to have to prove to me that you’re worthy of it.”  
  
Arthur glanced to the man at his side who only shrugged like it was a totally justifiable request. “The Lady of the Lake says you must prove yourself, and so you must prove yourself.”  
  
“What will it take to convince you, damsel?”  
  
Luna thought about having him make a difficult choice, save someone or help someone, but in the end, the fact that she was seemingly somehow in an Arthurian legend won out, and she just said, “Let me see your Kingdom.” If she really was here, she might as well make the most of it. She hoped the others wouldn’t be too worried about her disappearance. Lunch with Seamus and Dean would have to wait.  
  
“As you wish, my Lady,” Arthur said. “My magician, Merlin and I were headed back to Camelot. If you desire to see it, you may ride with me.”  
  
Luna allowed herself a small smile, she stepped forward but then realized she was still wet from her swim. She said a drying spell and Arthur gaped at her. She glanced to Merlin to see if she had just accidently exposed Arthur to the existence of magic but he was only looking her with a curious expression. Arthur, after a moment, regained his senses and quietly apologized. He turned to get onto the horse and the wizard Merlin stepped forward. Silently, he magicked a scabbard for her to put Excalibur in and then helped her up to sit behind the king.  
  
“Thank you.” She smiled, and the legendary wizard (if that’s who he really was) smiled back.  
  
The ride to Camelot was short but still it took Luna’s breath away. They were probably in the south, but she didn’t want to question it, less they become suspicious of her credibility as a Lady of the Lake.  
  
They passed several small villages filled with people dressed in medieval clothes, with medieval tools. Occasionally, they’d stop and help with a little project, lifting something or carrying something away. Personally, Luna thought Arthur was showing off and, because of the small smirk Merlin had on his face as he watched the King, she thought she might be right.  
  
Seeing everything, seeing a world that existed a thousand years before her birth, was incredible. She hoped she wasn’t staring.  
  
And then they were in Camelot.  
  
They rode through the gates with smiles for the king and inquisitive glances to her. She knew she must look truly otherworldly in her sundress. She was glad she had chosen a longer one today. It would have been much too scandalous to ride into Camelot with her thighs bared.  
  
Arthur helped her off the horse, and then he smiled as a young woman came out of the castle to meet him. Luna did a double take for the woman who was now throwing her arms around the King looked so much like Ginny. She was so identical that she glanced around to see if her friends were somehow playing a trick on her. They liked to joke around, but this didn’t seem like a thing that they would do.  
  
The woman who resembled Ginny only smiled at her kindly. “Welcome to Camelot. I am Queen Guinevere, and you are?”  
  
Luna went to respond but then...there were no Lunas in Arthurian legend. She thought about calling herself Nimue or Viviane or Elaine but in case they were real people, she refrained. “I’m the Lady of the Lake, my Queen,” she said instead, unable to stop herself from smiling. This was so surreal.  
  
“She brings Excalibur to us,” Arthur explained, and Queen Guinevere smiled.  
  
“Do come in and sup with us, won’t you, my Lady?”  
  
Luna glanced to Merlin, remembered Persephone but then nodded. As they walked to the hall, servants and knights alike both greeted their king warmly. He responded in kind, asking about them and their families. By the way everyone reacted, this was normal, not a show put on for her benefit.  
  
She sat down and was eating a small spread of cheeses and something that she wanted to believe was chicken when the door opened, and a knight came striding in. She gasped, catching the attention of everyone in the room.  
  
The knight looked to her uneasily. “Have I offended you in some way, damsel?”  
  
“No, you remind me of a man I know.”  
  
“My name is Sir. Gawain. My parents are Queen Anna and King Lot of Orkney and Lothian. Perhaps you know one of my brothers, my lady?”  
  
“No,” she said smiling as she took another small bite, it was rather bland and a bit burnt, but she didn’t want to insult anyone by mentioning it. “The resemblance was just surprising at first glance.”  
  
Sir Gawain looked an awful lot like Dean Thomas. She wished she had known that during the war when they both had been imprisoned at the Malfoy Manor, it would have cheered him up.  
  
Sir Gawain looked to the king. “Sire, King Rience has overtaken his eleventh king and he wants you to be next.”  
  
“Gather the men,” Arthur said at once, “We cannot allow him to continue.” He turned to Luna, “I’m sorry, my Lady but this must be dealt with before he rages war on my kingdom.”  
  
Luna nodded and then stood herself. Who was she to keep Excalibur from King Arthur? “You’ve proven to me that you’re ready to wield this sword.”  
  
Arthur looked a little taken aback, but he accepted the sword and the scabbard when Luna handed it to him. Obviously, he had expected some kind of grand quest. “You’re a just and kind ruler; your people love you. What else is there when it comes to ruling a kingdom?”  
  
Arthur smiled, bowed his head and accepted the sword. At once, he and Sir Gawain left the room.  
  
“Won’t you finish?” Guinevere asked, indicating the plate next to her at the table.  
  
Luna smiled and accepted. She picked at her plate as Guinevere and her chatted about the weather, about her journey here, all very safe topics. Luna wanted to believe that it was because the Queen could tell that she didn’t want to share many details.  
  
After their plates and cups had been cleaned away, Merlin stepped up. “If the Lady would like to return home?”  
  
“Surely not!” the Queen said, “she’s just gotten here. You must be tried from the journey.”  
  
She thought of the friends waiting for her at home. “I’m sorry, but Merlin is right. I should return home to where I’m needed.”  
  
“Your kingdom must be delighted to have such a caring Queen.”  
  
Luna smiled. “As must yours.” She thought of growing up with her father, prone to days where he missed her mother so much it would be up to her to make dinner, to clean and do the shopping. She thought of Hogwarts and the nights she spent locked up in her schoolmate’s dungeon.  
  
She bowed her head slightly, and then followed Merlin out of the room. He led her out to a secluded garden and then turned to her. “You’re a witch, yes?”  
  
Luna nodded. “Of course.”  
  
“Shall we Apparate back to the lake then?”  
  
On one hand, she would have like to see the countryside again, but she did have friends who would be worried about her. “Yes. That’s probably for the best.”  
  
Merlin held out his hand, and she took it. In a second they were back at the lake.  
  
“If I’m correct,” Merlin said. “You came to us not from Avalon but from another time.”  
  
“The future, yes. If you knew that then why…”  
  
“You had Excalibur; you’re the Lady we were seeking. What difference does it make where you come from?”  
  
Luna studied him. “How do I get home? I didn’t quite come here on purpose.”  
  
“You get home the same way you came.”  
  
Luna nodded; it wouldn’t hurt to try. She stepped forward into the water but then, when the water was to about her knees, Merlin caught her arm. When she looked back to him, he looked unsure.  
  
“Can you tell me, do we make a difference?”  
  
“Oh yes.” Luna smiled. “A very big difference. You all become quite legendary.”  
  
Merlin smiled, satisfied and relieved and so she added, “You remind me of my friend, Harry. You’re both very kind.”  
  
“Thank you, my Lady.”  
  
“Luna.” What could it hurt, telling Merlin her name now?  
  
“Thank you, Luna.”  
  
She smiled and then turned. She swam out to the middle of the lake, took one last glance at the country and the wizard standing at the shore and then she dove down.  
  
Luna didn’t quite know what she should be expecting if she would just keep swimming until she reached the surface on the other side. But then her hands came in contact with the muddy bottom of the pond and so she turned around, kicked off the bottom and swam back to the top.  
  
“Luna!” Neville shouted immediately, and then there was a great splash. She wiped the water from her eyes to see both Neville and Ron swimming towards her. Ginny, Harry, and Hermione watched nervously from the shore.  
  
“I’m fine--” she said, but both men pulled her to the bank. Neville looked her over before cupping her face with his hands and kissing her.  
  
Teddy shouted, “Eww!” from overtop his books and Hermione laughed. Luna didn’t look away from Neville though.  
  
“I really am okay.”  
  
“You were under there for at least two minutes--did you cast a bubble heard charm?”  
  
“I was only gone for two minutes?” she asked.  
  
Hermione shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she crossed her arms. “Luna,” she began, raising an eyebrow, “where were you just now?”  
  
“Camelot.”  
  
Ron snorted but then looked to her curiously.  
  
“Really?” Neville asked, helping her to stand and then cast drying spells on the both of them.  
  
“Yes. As it turned out, the sword your parents had lying at the bottom of their pond was no other than Excalibur. How strange!”  
  
“Excalibur?” Ron asked, “Well what did you do with it?”  
  
“King Arthur and Merlin were on a quest to obtain it, and so I had them take me to see Camelot before I gave it to them. Queen Guinevere looks just like you, Ginny. And I thought Sir Gawain was Dean for a moment.”  
  
“What’s Camelot like?”  
  
“Lovely, although it smelt a bit and their food was a bit bland.”  
  
“You ate even though we’re going to lunch?”  
  
“I couldn’t have turned down Queen Guinevere and King Arthur, that would have been so rude.” She looked around, suddenly remembering that all time travel sometimes came with disastrous effects. “I haven’t changed anything, have I?”  
  
“Not unless you caused Voldemort.”  
  
Luna shook her head. “No that had still happened before I went to Camelot. We’ll have to stop inside Flourish and Blotts, so I can look through a book to make sure I didn’t change anything by telling Merlin my name and that I was from the future.”  
  
“You were chatting with the wizard Merlin?” Neville laughed. “And here I thought I was having a good day because I reorganized a couple lesson plans before we came over.”  
  
Luna kissed his cheek. “That’s still very impressive. Should we go for lunch?”  
  
“You’re still hungry after feasting with King Arthur?” Ginny teased.  
  
“I only had a few bites.”  
  
“Then let’s go.” Ginny took her by the arm and started walking towards the gate. “Teddy, you make sure your Uncles Harry and Ron behave themselves!”  
  
Teddy laughed, and Hermione and Neville caught up with them.  
  
“Luna if you spend lunch trying to convince Dean that he’s the great great great great great grandson of Sir Gawain I’m going to leave you with the bill.”  
  
“Hermione!” Ginny laughed, “She also said that Queen Guinevere looks just like me, so you better stop being so rude, you’re with royalty.”  
  
“ _Luna_.” Hermione looked to her, laughing, but she just smiled and took Neville’s hand as they apparated to London.


End file.
